Computer programs within computers are often updated, replaced or otherwise changed. The change may impact other computer programs within the same computer or another computer. For example, a server may manage a database in storage, and contain a database management program. Multiple applications, such as web applications, on the same or different servers may need to access the database for web pages, files or other data. To obtain such data, the web application will typically make a request to the database management program for the data. In response, the database management program will access the requested data from storage, and furnish it to the requesting web application. Some types of changes to the web application may impact the database management server. For example, if a new user function is added to the web application that will result in more searching through the database management server, this will burden the database management server. This will slow response time to other applications in obtaining data from the database manager server. Consequently, some types of changes to web and other types of applications that access a database management server will impact other applications that access the same database management server.
It was known to manually enter a list of people that should be notified when there is a change to a respective computer programs or server. When a change is made to such a computer program or server, it was known to automatically notify the people in the list of the change. Then, the people in the list can determine if any other changes need to be made to any other applications or servers, and if so, make the change.
It was also known to automatically identify users of a computer program, such as a Samba program (i.e. an open source utility) in a server, from a list of valid userIDs. When a change is made to such a computer program, it was known to automatically notify the users of the change, and provide any software updates to corresponding user/client portions of such computer programs or other instructions needed to continue to use the Samba program.
While the foregoing techniques are effective, they require too much manual effort and/or tend to identify “owners” of servers and computer programs which are not really affected by a change to another computer program. Also, it is difficult to keeping the list of owners synchronized with the list of servers in a system environment characterized by ongoing change and adjustment.
An object of the present invention is to manage changes to a computer program or server by targeting the number of people who are notified of changes to the computer program or server.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure that the correct people are notified of changes, and eliminate human error in the notification process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the foregoing change management in a substantially automated manner.